1) Field of the Invention
Disclosed is a lubricant additive composition, a lubricant, and method of preparing the same. The lubricant additive composition may be used to treat a base oil to provide improved performance.
2) Description of the Related Art
Lubrication involves friction reduction by maintaining a film of a lubricant between adjacent surfaces that move with respect to each other. The lubricant film prevents direct contact of the adjacent surfaces, greatly reducing the coefficient of friction and wear of the surfaces. In addition to this function, the lubricant film also can provide functions such as heat removal, containment of contaminants, and other important functions.
Commercially available lubricants are a mixture of a base oil, e.g., a hydrocarbon oil, and one or more additives. The additives are used to establish or enhance various properties of the lubricant. Because additives and the base oil may interact both physically and chemically, and because an additive may affect multiple properties of the base oil, formulation of additives can be complex. For example, certain anti-wear agents are known to accelerate corrosion; flow improvers can reduce viscosity, and some dispersants and viscosity improvers are known to interact with base oils to degrade cloud point and pour point properties.
For certain applications, such as in industrial machinery or in fleet vehicles, reducing friction and wear can be especially desirable. Reducing friction losses can result in a variety of benefits, including improved fuel economy and reduced engine operating temperature. Reducing wear can also provide a variety of additional benefits, including extended life, reduced maintenance costs, and improved reliability. Furthermore, for certain applications, a lubricant that is substantially free of certain elements, such as phosphorous, can be desirable for certain applications.
Many studies have been made on additives, e.g., friction modifiers, to provide reduced friction and wear. Nonetheless, there remains a need for an improved lubricant additive composition and lubricant that can provide improved performance.